The court, upon written consent of the parties, may permit the mover to file a supplemental petition or answer setting forth items of damage, causes of action or defenses that have become exigible since the date of filing the original petition or answer, and that are related to or connected with the causes of action or defenses asserted therein. If the parties do not consent, the court may grant leave to file a supplemental petition or answer only upon contradictory motion.
Art. 1155.Supplemental Pleadings
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title I. Pleading · Chapter 7. Amended and Supplemental Pleadings · Last amended 2023 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1155 lets a party file a supplemental petition or answer to add damages, claims, or defenses that arose after the original pleading was filed and that connect to the claims or defenses already asserted, requiring either the opposing party's consent or leave of court granted after a contradictory motion.
Full Text of Art. 1155
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2023, No. 5, §1, eff. 8/1/2023.
Plain-English Summary
An amendment and a supplement solve different problems. Amendment reaches back and revises what was already pleaded; a supplemental pleading reaches forward, adding facts or claims that didn't exist — weren't "exigible," in the Code's phrase — until after the original petition or answer was filed. Article 1155 governs that forward-looking addition.
A party can't supplement on demand. If the opposing party consents in writing, the court may permit the supplemental pleading. If not, the party seeking to supplement has to bring a contradictory motion, meaning the other side gets notice and a chance to be heard before the court decides whether to allow it.
The new material still has to connect to what's already in the case: it must relate to or connect with the causes of action or defenses already asserted. A party can't use a supplemental pleading to graft an unrelated dispute onto an existing lawsuit. That keeps the supplement doing what its name suggests — building on the existing case rather than launching a new one inside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between an amended pleading and a supplemental pleading?
An amendment revises what was already pleaded. A supplemental pleading adds damages, claims, or defenses that arose after the original petition or answer was filed.
Can a party file a supplemental pleading without the court's involvement?
Only if the opposing party consents in writing. Without that consent, the party has to bring a contradictory motion and obtain the court's leave.
Does the new material in a supplemental pleading have to relate to the existing case?
Yes. Article 1155 requires that it relate to or connect with the causes of action or defenses already asserted in the case; it can't introduce an unrelated dispute.
What does "exigible" mean in this context?
It refers to damages, claims, or defenses that have become due or enforceable since the original pleading was filed — matured facts that didn't yet exist when the case began.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: supplemental petition louisianasupplemental pleading rulesadding claims after original petitionLouisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 1155contradictory motion to supplement